Panthers Prospects Putting in Work Overseas

As we await the start of the 2020-21 NHL season, let's turn our attention overseas.
With several professional leagues currently up and running in Europe, there's no time like the present to check out a few potential future members of the Florida Panthers as a handful of the organization's prospects are currently lacing up their skates in the KHL, SHL, Liiga and beyond.

So, from recent draftees to players that could be pushing for a roster spot with the Panthers sooner rather than later, let's take a look at how these prospects are doing across the pond.

LIIGA

Anton Lundell
Lundell has been tearing it up since being taken with the 12th overall pick in last month's draft.
In the midst of his third season in Liiga, the 19-year-old center ranks third in the league with 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) through 14 games with HIFK. His 11 goals are also good enough for second in the league and are already one more than the career-high 10 he recorded in 2019-20.
This uptick in scoring is likely due to his increased shot volume. Never afraid to let the puck rip from anywhere, he's posted 78 shots on goal this season, including two contests with 10 shots. Taking on added responsibility, he's also averaging a career-high 19:30 of ice time per contest.
From Oct. 13-28, Lundell looked like a man possessed, recording eight points (seven goals, one assist) over a three-game span, including scoring four times in a 5-2 win over SaiPai on Oct. 24. Then, less than a month later, he blew up the scoresheet once again when he tallied a career-high six points (two goals, four assists) during a dominating 11-1 victory over Jukurit on Nov. 18.

Eetu Luostarinen
Like Lundell, Luostarinen is also off to a hot start in Finland.
Acquired by the Panthers from the Hurricanes at the NHL Trade Deadline back in February, the 22-year-old center has hit the ground running since being loaned to KalPa, ranking first on the team and tied for 17th in the league with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) through 11 games.
A model of consistency on offense, Luostarinen has managed to crack the scoresheet in all but three games thus far, including stringing together an impressive six-game point streak from Oct. 10-31. In that span, he had three multi-point games while racking up three goals and six assists.
In the faceoff circle, Luostarinen is winning 54.40 percent of his draws.
Santtu Kinnunen
Kinnunen continues to make strides during his third season in Liiga.
Patrolling the blue line for Tappara (a team partially owned by Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov), the 21-year-old is sitting second among the team's defensemen with six points (all assists) while averaging 14:34 of ice time through his first 13 games of the 2020-21 campaign.
On Nov. 17, Kinnunen notched a season-high two points in a 6-5 win over Sport.
A seventh-round pick (207th overall) by the Panthers in the 2018 NHL Draft, an encouraging sign for Kinnunen's development is that he's showing a lot of discipline at a young age. After being charged with 14 penalty minutes in 24 games in 2019-20, he's tallied just two this year.
Henrik Borgstrom
Following an extended hiatus, Borgstrom is finally back on the ice.
Working his way back from an undisclosed injury suffered during the 2019-20 season, the 23-year-old center made his Liiga debut with HIFK during a 3-2 overtime loss to KooKoo on Nov. 11. Lining up as a left wing on a line with Lundell, he recorded one shot over 17:20 of ice time.
Taken by the Panthers with the 23rd overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Borgstrom has played in 58 games with Florida over parts of three seasons, registering 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists).
A restricted free agent, Borgstrom received a qualifying offer from the Panthers on Oct. 7.
Aleksi Saarela
Saarela opened up the Liiga season on a scoring spree.
Lighting the lamp twice in Lukko's season opener on Oct. 2, the 23-year-old forward went on to score in six of the next seven games, including piecing together a four-game goal streak from Oct. 16-24. As of right now, he ranks tied for third in the league with eight goals in 11 contests.
Of his eight goals, three of them have held up as game-winners.

After being acquired by the Panthers in a trade with the Blackhawks on Oct. 22, 2019, Saarela went on to make his NHL regular-season debut with Florida, notching four points (two goals, two assists) in nine games. He also appeared in one game during the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
A restricted free agent, Saarela received a qualifying offer from the Panthers on Oct. 7.
Kasper Puutio
Puutio is just starting to test his mettle against grown men this season.
A fifth-round pick (153rd overall) by the Panthers in the 2020 NHL Draft, the 18-year-old blueliner has spent time with both Karpat and its U-20 club to kick off the 2020-21 campaign. In the five games he's suited up with Karpat in Liiga thus far, he's averaged 11:49 of ice time per contest.
In his Liiga debut on Oct. 9, Puutio finished with a plus-one rating in a 7-3 win over HIFK.

SHL

Rodrigo Abols
On loan from the Panthers, Abols has been suiting up for his old club, Örebro HK.
Tied for sixth on the team in scoring, the 24-year-old forward has produced eight points (five goals, three assists) in 11 games to open up the 2019-20 season. Prior to heading to North America, he registered 26 points (18 goals, eight assists) in 45 games with Örebro in 2018-19.
After signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers on May 28, 2019, Abols went on to accumulate 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 36 AHL games during the 2019-20 season.
Emil Heineman
Heineman has already reached a career-high in games played in the SHL.
After suiting up in 11 games with Leksands IF in 2019-20, the 18-year-old forward has already competed in 15 so far this season while tallying one goal. A second-round pick (43rd overall) by Florida in the 2020 NHL Draft, he's also competed in one game with Leksands IF's U-20 club.
On Oct. 17, Heineman netted the first goal of his SHL career in a 3-2 win over Rogle BKS.

KHL

Emil Djuse He's 27 years old, but given the fact he's yet to play in the NHL we'll still call Djuse a prospect.
Opening up the KHL season on a very high note, the Swedish defenseman notched at least one point in four of his first five games after joining Moscow Spartak. During that five-game span, he picked up six points (one goal, five assists), with his lone goal coming while on the power play.
With 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) through 19 games, Djuse, who was acquired by Florida from Dallas at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline, currently leads Moscow's defenseman in scoring.
A restricted free agent, Djuse received a qualifying offer from the Panthers on Oct. 7.
Vladislav Kolyachonok
Kolyachonok has been put to the test since being loaned by the Panthers to the KHL.
Playing against grown men for the first time in his career, the 19-year-old defenseman has recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in 22 games with Dinamo in his hometown of Minsk, Belarus. Prior to the 2020-21 season, he'd spent three seasons playing in the OHL.

A second-round pick (52nd overall) by the Panthers in the 2019 NHL Draft, Kolyachonok's best game of the season thus far took place on Sept. 29. Helping lead Dinamo to a 4-1 victory over Severstal, he registered a career-high two points (one goal, one assist) over 15:26 of ice time.

MISC.

Aleksi Heponiemi
Heponiemi is currently suiting up in Sweden's HockeyAllsvenskan.
On loan from the Panthers, the 21-year-old forward is off to a great start with MODO Hockey, leading the team in scoring with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) through 14 contests. A second-round pick (40th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, he also owns a team-best plus-5 rating.
Alec Rauhauser
Rauhauser recently made his professional hockey debut in the Slovakian Extraliga.
After putting pen to paper on a one-year, two-way contract with the Panthers in March, the 25-year-old defenseman was loaned to DVTK Jegesmedvék earlier this month. Making his debut on Nov. 10, he registered a goal and an assist during a 7-2 win over HK32 Liptovský Mikuláš.
With DVTK, Rauhauser, who is coming off an excellent collegiate career at Bowling Green, has been reunited with his former USHL coach Dave Allison and former USHL teammate Nick Wolff.
Justin Schütz
With the start of the DEL season delayed, Schütz, a sixth-round pick (170th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft, was loaned from ECH München to EC Salzburg in the Austrian Hockey League (IceHL).
In seven games with Salzburg, the 20-year-old forward has produced three assists.
Elliot Ekmark
After getting a taste of the SHL in 2019-20, Ekmark is currently with Linköping HC's U-20 team.
Off to a hot start after being selected by the Panthers in the seventh round (198th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft, the 18-year-old forward has tallied two goals and eight assists in seven games.